It was a Dark and Stormy Night
by GataChica
Summary: Abby and Jenny are alone at NCIS in the middle of a severe storm. When a tornado strikes, Abby is severely injured, and unexpected consequences result.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Some of this is not entirely realistic. Please be prepared for a willing suspension of disbelief. ;-)

Abby Sciuto didn't usually mind thunderstorms. She had grown up on the Gulf coast, where storms were as common as the tides, and had lived through more than one hurricane landfall in her home area of New Orleans. Given her background, she was likely to be either very frightened or nonchalant when a storm hit - and she was definitely not frightened.

She did have one quirk, however. She did not like being alone during storms. Even if it was just a person in the next apartment that she didn't even know, she felt more confident having another human being nearby.

At first it was just heavy rain and strong winds, but then the lightning started, and she knew she'd better pull the plug on her equipment. Just one flash in the wrong place and everything electronic in her lab would die.

"I will not allow any of you to suffer!" she vowed, switching them off. "Go to sleep now, and I'll wake you up when the storm is over."

With that job completed, she decided to go in search of someone else in the building. As soon as she opened the door of her lab, she noticed that the EXIT sign near the stairwell was blinking.

"That's hinky," she said. "I'll go down and see what Ducky is doing."

But when she went down to the morgue, she found it dark and quiet. It was clear that everyone was gone.

She was starting to feel uneasy, but she wouldn't think... she wouldn't think...

"Get a grip on yourself, Abby," she said firmly. "Someone will be in the squadroom."

But she was wrong. Everything was turned off, except for the blinking EXIT signs. No one was around.

Storms didn't scare Abby, but storms with all her friends gone did _. There has to be someone here_ , she thought _. At least the security guards_...

She sat down at Gibbs desk and dialed the number for Security. No answer. Then a message - "NCIS Headquarters is in lockdown. The area has been evacuated due to extremely dangerous storms. Hazards include flash flooding, lightning, hail, high winds, and tornadoes."

She stared out the windows, unable to believe it. There should have been an alarm. She should have heard it - but then she remembered how loud her music was and she realized that it was possible she had _not_ heard it. Or she could even have thought it was part of the music! _This is awful. I'm here by myself and I can't leave and it's storming and what am I going to do?_

She tried to calm her heartbeat and breathing but they were both going too fast. She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate. Then she heard a sound behind her.

Panicked, she whirled around and saw Director Shepard standing on the catwalk above. "Why are you still here, Abby? Everyone was told to evacuate."

"Um... I didn't hear it. I guess I had my music too loud." Abby looked at the floor, embarrassed, then asked, "Why are you still here?"

Jenny smiled and began to walk down the steps. "I'm the Director," she explained. "Directors don't -"

Just then, the lights flickered and went out, and Abby heard a crash on the steps, along with a high pitched cry.

"Director!" Abby could not really see but she felt her way to where she knew the bottom of the stairs should be. Just as she reached it, the emergency lights came on, and she found Jenny crumpled against the wall near the bottom of the stairs. "Director, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"Umm... no," Jenny admitted, with pain in her voice. "I think I broke my wrist."

"Don't move! I'll get a first aid kit." She jumped up and, in the dim emergency lights, she searched until she found the kit in a cabinet near the fire extinguisher (she sure hoped she wouldn't need to use _that)_.

She hurried back to Jenny's side and found that she had managed to sit up against the wall, but Abby could see that she was bleeding in several places. "Let me wrap your wrist, then I'll clean those cuts and get you some bandaids," she promised.

"Is it that bad? I feel so foolish. I should have just stood still until the lights came on."

"Well, don't worry about it now. Does your head hurt?"

"Yeah, it does." She reached up to feel the trickle of blood coming from a sizeable lump on her forehead.

"You might have a concussion."

"I certainly hope not."

"You and me both. There!" She had tied the bandage tightly enough - but not too tight - around Jenny's left wrist and hand so that it remained stable; it was nearly impossible for her to accidentally articulate the damaged wrist.

Abby took out antiseptic wipes and band-aids, then quickly applied them to the wounds she could see. "Um... Director, are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I don't think so, except.. ah! My ankle! I think I sprained it. Do you have another elastic bandage?"

"Yes." Jenny took off her shoes, and even in the low light it was obvious that her right foot and ankle were bruised and swelling rapidly. Abby handed the bandage to her, and Jenny wound it around the damaged area. Meanwhile, Abby grabbed the nearest landline phone (she had already tried her cell, which didn't work) and dialed 911.

It rang a long time, and when it was finally answered, the dispatcher said, "Please hold."

"No, no," Abby cried.

"What is it?"

"They put me on hold." But a few seconds later a voice said, "911, what's your emergency?"

"We're at NCIS headquarters, and the Director is injured, with a concussion, and a broken wrist, and other things, and we need you to please come, as soon as possible.." Abby babbled.

"Ma'm... ma'm," the dispatcher tried to stop the flood of speech. "What's your name?" she said, when Abby finally stopped to draw a breath.

"Abby Sciuto. NCIS. Please, can you send an ambulance soon?"

"I'll have someone there as -"

The voice stopped abruptly, and Abby groaned. "Oh, no! The phone's dead. Now what?"

"I guess now we wait." Jenny sighed. "I checked the radar just before I came out here - there was a large mass of yellow and red heading directly for us, moving at about -"

She was interrupted by a loud whine that rose and fell in pitch. Jenny covered her ears. "What the hell is that?"

"I think... tornado warning!"


	2. Chapter 2

_She was interrupted by a loud whine that rose and fell in pitch. Jenny covered her ears. "What the hell is that?"_

 _"I think... tornado warning!"_

"I've only heard it once before; we don't get many tornadoes here." Abby jumped up and said, "We have to go to the basement. Can you stand up?"

"With your help." Abby pulled her up, but as soon as her right foot touched the floor, she groaned in pain, leaning on the taller woman for support. "I don't think I can walk, Abby."

"That's bad. That's really bad." Abby looked around, trying to decide what to do. "We mustn't use the elevators. If you can't walk, you certainly can't go down the stairs. Here, lean on me until we get to the stairwell, and I'll carry you down."

"Abby, you can't do that," Jenny protested, as they began to make slow progress. "I'm too heavy for you."

"Wanna bet? You can't weigh much over 100 lbs., and I bench press 180. You'll see," Abby told her confidently.

They made it to the stairwell door and Abby opened it, keeping Jenny stable with her other arm. When they both were on the landing, Abby swiftly reached down and picked Jenny up, one arm below her knees and the other just under her arms. Jenny put her right arm tightly around Abby's neck. "Hold on, Director," Abby said, as she started down the steps.

"Abby," Jenny said with a little laugh in spite of her pain, "You can't do this and still call me Director. Call me Jenny."

"Okay, " Abby said absently. She was concentrating on getting them both to the basement before a (hopefully hypothetical) tornado hit the building, and doing so without bumping Jenny's head, ankle or wrist. After two flights they had reached the level of her lab. "Just one more," she said, beginning to get a little winded. The annoying whine of the tornado warning had mercifully stopped.

About four steps from the bottom of the last staircase, Abby heard a splash as she put one boot down on the step, then another splash as she put down the second. She could feel the cool water circulating around her feet, and she imagined that she could feel it rising every second. "Uh-oh," she muttered.

"What is it?" Jenny asked sleepily.

"Flood," was all Abby said, as she headed back up the steps. How far up would they have to go to escape the water? And what if -

She firmly turned her concentration towards reaching the first floor. It wasn't the best place, but it would have to do. She had just passed the door to her lab when she had an idea. _I'll get the mattress and pillows off the futon, and we can put them over us if a tornado does come._

She went back down two steps. "Jenny? I'll have to put you down to open the door."

There was no reply. "Jenny? Jenny, are you awake? Wake up!" Abby felt terror gripping her gut as she gently laid the redhead on the floor. If she had a concussion... She raised Jenny's eyelids and saw that her pupils were normal and of equal size. That was a good sign. "Director!" she said loudly. "Please wake up!" Her voice reverberated through the stairwell, but Jenny remained limp and unresponsive.

"You can't sleep. If you have a concussion, you might never wake up again. Oh, God, _please_ wake up!" She decided to resort to extreme measures - an EMT she once dated had told her about the sternal rub, which would often wake people when nothing else would. "I'm sorry about this, Jenny," she whispered. Using her right fist, she began to rub her knuckles against Jenny's breastbone.

The redhead's eyelids flew up and she gasped. "Dammit, that hurts, Abby, stop!" she yelled. Then she noticed Abby's smile. "Why are you smiling?" she demanded.

"Because I got you to wake up. I know it hurt, and I'm sorry, but I was really scared. I want to get some stuff from the lab." As they hobbled in together, she murmured, "You can't go away again, you just can't. I won't let you."

They were just inside the lab door when the noise started. Abby knew what it was; she had been near a tornado before. She picked Jenny up again and rushed to the office. Grabbing the mattress and pillows, she laid Jenny down on the desk (just in case of flood) with a pillow under her head, then climbed onto the desk beside her, pulling the mattress over both of them.

The sound was so loud now she couldn't hear much else, except for the crash of breaking glass and metal objects hitting other metal objects. Then the mattress began to lift, pulled up by the low pressure in the tornado's center.

"No!" Abby shouted. She got out from under the mattress, holding it down with one arm and shielding her face with the other. Spreading out her arms and legs to completely cover it, Abby lay down on top of the mattress, knowing that it was the only way to protect Jenny from the flying debris.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had just risen, revealing a beautifully clear blue sky, and Jethro Gibbs was trying to fix his sump pump. He was extremely annoyed, because it had broken down early enough in the storm that the water had risen to half a foot up his boat. Yeah, boats were made for the water, but not at this point in the construction. He was swearing an average of twice a minute.

When the phone rang the first time, he ignored it until it stopped. The second time he said, "Son of a bitch!" but he stopped working and answered it.

"Boss, there's something you need to see. Channel 4." It was Tony's voice.

He hung up the phone and went straight to the TV. He hadn't liked the tone of voice Tony used.

"- had been evacuated, it was initially believed no one was in the building," a reporter stated. Gibbs realized the reporter was standing in front of NCIS and there was clearly significant damage. "If it had not been for the 911 call, rescuers might not have come here until later today. Fortunately, however, both women were located."

Gibbs was stunned. Who would have stayed in defiance of the evacuation? He was grimly certain he knew who at least one of them was, and maybe both.

The studio's meteorologist said, "Thank you for your report, Richard." She looked towards the news anchors.

"We just had an update from Bethesda Naval Hospital on the condition of the director and the forensic scientist. Director Shepard's condition is serious but stable, while Ms. Sciuto remains in critical condition. She is currently -"

Gibbs grabbed his coat and car keys, and headed out. He didn't need to hear anymore; his gut was screaming at him to hurry, hurry, hurry or it might be too late.

Just as Gibbs approached the hospital, his cell phone rang. He didn't pause to see who it was. "What?"

"Jethro, have you seen..."

"Yeah, Ducky, I'm almost to Bethesda now."

"Oh. All right, we'll meet you there."

He pulled into valet parking, barely braked and shifted before he got out, and tossed his keys to the valet. Then he ran to the elevators, getting in one that was almost full, and went to the intensive care floor. He knew which one it was. He had been there before.

He didn't bother asking where they were, because he didn't want to be told he couldn't go in. So he went room to room instead. He had checked three rooms when he heard a familiar voice. "Gibbs, down here." It was Ziva. He guessed that either Tony called Ziva first or Ziva had been at Tony's apartment. Or perhaps the other way around. It didn't matter.

"Here is Jenny," Ziva said quietly.

He didn't know what he had expected. Actually he hadn't thought about it; his main concern was just getting there. But now that he saw her, he felt a wave of sadness - and yes, guilt. The electrodes buried in her beautiful red hair, the oxygen mask, the IV attached to her right arm, some other kind of tube that he didn't recognize in the other arm, the cast on her wrist, the cuts, bruises, and abrasions on her face and arms...

He glanced at the monitors but couldn't read them; his nerves were shot. "Is she in a coma?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes, but it's mild," Ziva replied.

Tony had been sitting in a chair beside the bed, but he stood up as soon as he saw Gibbs." It's not as bad as it looks. But she had seizures earlier, they said."

Gibbs sat down and laid his hand on Jenny's right hand. "Concussion? What happened?"

"We are not certain," Ziva admitted.

"They were found in Abby's office; Jenny was protected by the mattress from Abby's futon, but Abby was on top of it, apparently holding it down. It was a direct hit, Boss. The tornado smashed the lab, and Abby..." Tony stopped and swallowed hard, trying to get a grip on himself.

"What about Abby?"

"She's still in surgery," Ziva said. "She did not look good, Gibbs. She had shards of glass and bits of metal embedded in her back and arms. Some even in her hair. She has been in surgery for five and a half hours now. They are trying to get it all out and stop the bleeding."

A low moan came from the woman on the bed, and all heads turned toward Jenny. She seemed to be trying to speak, and then she moved her hand slightly as if to gain Gibbs' attention.

Tony and Ziva disappeared, leaving Gibbs and Jenny some privacy.

"Jen," he said, his voice cracking, "why didn't you leave with everyone else?"

She slowly turned her head and tried to open her eyes "Abby." The word was blurred but he could understand it.

"She's in surgery. Tony and Ziva said she saved your life."

"Mmm," she murmured. "Hurt."

"You were hurt in the tornado?"

To his surprise, she said clearly, "No."

"No? Then how -"

Tony interrupted, sticking his head into the room. "Boss, Abby's out of surgery and she's asking for you."

Gibbs leaned over and kissed Jenny's forehead. "I'll be back," he promised.

Abby lay on her side in the PACU, her back, arms, legs, neck, and head covered with bandages. They had shaved most of her sleek black hair and tied what was left of it into a bundle at the top of her head. She had a breathing tube and an NG tube and two I.V. lines and a something else, like Jenny had. Gibbs wondered how she had been able to ask for him.

As he approached, she looked at him with her eyes half-open and answered his question when she began to sign in slow motion.

'Jenny OK?'

"She's doing fine, Abby. She had a seizure, but they think the concussion is getting better now."

Abby seemed to relax. 'Good.' She closed her eyes and seemed to be unconscious again, but he saw her form two abbreviated signs: ' Jenny I love you.'

Gibbs stared at her. Surely she didn't mean - or did she? No, Abby loved everyone. There wasn't anything more to it than that. There _couldn't_ be more than that.

He left the PACU, his face impassive but his mind still troubled.

When he returned to the ICU, he found that Ducky, Tim, and Palmer had arrived. "How is Abby?" Tim asked immediately.

"She's... recovering," Gibbs said slowly. "She's in bad shape."

"Did you talk to her?" Ducky asked.

"Yes. She had a breathing tube, so she couldn't speak, she could only sign. She asked how Jenny was, then she became unconscious again." He didn't mention anything else; he was keeping it to himself until he understood what she had meant.

"I'm surprised - pleasantly so - that she was able to communicate at all. If she escaped a serious head injury, she'll be lucky."

"There was a bandage around her head."

"Well, then, we'll have to wait until the doctor gives us a report. She obviously has some sort of head injury. Let's just hope it isn't too bad."

Abby was moved to ICU a few hours later, and all her friends had a glimpse at her. They could tell her injuries were severe.

Gibbs asked the doctor, "How is she doing?"

Dr. Miller replied, "She's stable, which is the best we can hope for now." He hesitated a moment. "You're her boss?"

"Yes, she asked for me when she came out of surgery. Her family lives in Louisiana."

"I'll level with you then, Mr. -"

"Gibbs. Just Gibbs."

"Ms. Sciuto was severely injured. I know you were in the military, so you will understand this. She looked as if she had been standing near a suicide bomber or an IED. Fortunately, the front of her body and her face were fairly well protected. But the back - in spite of hours in surgery, we couldn't remove all the pieces of glass, plastic, metal, you name it. Shrapnel, essentially. She had one large piece of glass in her left shoulder, which cut through most of the rotator cuff - that injury will take a long time to heal, and it may never be the same as it was."

Just the thought of that wound on his Abby made Gibbs cringe.

"Another piece was in her neck and just millimeters away from her jugular vein. Several damaged her kidneys and a few even went through the rib cage to her lungs. She also has several skull fractures caused by building materials that hit her when the building collapsed. We had to remove part of her skull to lower the pressure." He sighed. "To be honest, we weren't sure if she would make it through the surgery. The next few days will be critical. If her body is strong enough, I believe she can fight her way back to health. But I just don't know."

"How much time can we spend with her?"

"As much time as you want. And talk to her." He hesitated again. "You don't have to answer this, but - have you been a patient here before?"

"Yeah, I was in an explosion. Head injury and coma."

"Then you know that sometimes people can hear when they are comatose, even if they don't respond."

"Yeah."

"It would help to have someone with her at all times, as long as the person doesn't interfere with her treatment."

"No problem. What about Director Shepard?"

"She's doing very well. The MRI showed less swelling than we expected. If she continues to improve, she may be able to leave ICU tomorrow."

Gibbs nodded and left to tell the others.

Ducky called Abby's parents via TDD and was distressed to learn that her father had just had a serious heart attack the day before. "When I found that out," he told Gibbs later, "I minimized Abigail's injuries, so they wouldn't feel pulled in two directions."

"You'll have to tell them the truth eventually, Duck."

"I know. But not now." He made the statement so firmly that Gibbs changed his mind about calling the family himself.

Tony and Ziva were in Jenny's room talking. She didn't feel much like talking herself, but she was glad to know her friends were there. After awhile, she drifted off to sleep; Tony and Ziva stayed but lowered their voices until McGee came in to invite them for dinner in the hospital cafeteria.

When the three of them sat down at a table, Ziva said, "McGee, you've been very quiet."

"I don't have much to say."

"You're worried about Abby, aren't you?" Tony asked gently. McGee gave him a look. "We're worried too."

"I wish I knew why they stayed," Ziva mused. "And why did Abby not protect herself?"

"She probably couldn't hold on to the mattress - it would have blown away - then neither of them would have been protected," said McGee.

"She would have done the same for any of us," Tony added.

"Probably," Ziva agreed. "Still..."

"Still what?" asked McGee.

"Still, there is something I do not understand here. I will be glad when they can tell us exactly what occurred."

"If they can," said Tony. "They may have amnesia. I'm fairly certain Abby will, because Gibbs said her head injury was very bad."

"Where is Gibbs?" Ziva wanted to know.

"I think he's sitting with Abby," McGee replied. "He feels responsible."

Tony and Ziva smiled at one another. "Oh yes, it must be his messianic complex," Ziva teased, grinning at McGee.

"Guys, please, can't we just forget that?" McGee pleaded. "I've put up with you teasing me for a long time and I'm really tired of it."

"Okay, Tim. We won't tease you anymore," Ziva said. "Actually, I don't think you were very far off - when it comes to Gibbs," she hastily added


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I actually researched this. ;-)

Gibbs sat watching Abby. He didn't want to take his eyes off her - except during the times he went to Jenny's room to stare at _her_. But Abby was damaged, much more so than Jenny.

After being moved to ICU, her mental status had slowly decreased until she was in a full-blown coma. She still opened her eyes, but most of the time her eyes didn't track. Sometimes she would follow simple commands, and push away the doctor's hand when she was gently pinched. But her responses were inconsistent; in essence, Abby's brain was temporarily shut down, and it would take time to reboot.

But there was one thing she did consistently. She repeatedly signed it, in different forms, but always the same meaning: "Jenny I love you." Gibbs told the doctor, but he did not seem to think it was important; since it continued even when she was otherwise unresponsive, he considered it an automatic, repetitive action that was meaningless.

Gibbs didn't think it was meaningless.

Two days later, Jenny had spent her first night in a regular hospital room. The coma had fully resolved, and she was just waiting for surgery on her wrist.

Jethro felt it was time to confront her. He walked into her room, then asked abruptly, "Jen... did something happen between you and Abby during the storm?"

She was surprised - it was blunt, even for him. "I don't know what you mean, Jethro. Something like what?"

"Anything."

"I've already told you what happened."

"All of it?"

"Yes, of course." She frowned at him. "What are you asking... oh." Realization finally hit her; she had detected a certain look on his face that always appeared when he was trying to pretend he wasn't jealous.

"Go on."

"I already told you the truth, Jethro. But you obviously think I'm lying. Why?"

"Abby..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Now you're lying to me."

"Yes."

"At least you admit it." Her look was a challenge, but he didn't respond, just looked back at her. Finally she broke eye contact and changed the subject.

They talked a little while longer, then she told him she wanted to get some sleep, so he left. But she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking. _Why did he ask me that? Did Abby say something? If so, why?_ There had been no changes in the way Abby acted when Jenny was around. She was frequently hyper, but that was probably due to her excessive consumption of caffeine. She had a tendency to babble, but then Abby tended to babble at any time, so that didn't mean anything. It also didn't mean anything that she had so carefully protected Jenny when the tornado hit. She would have done the same for any of her friends. That was just who Abby was.

Jenny was very tired, and eventually her thoughts slowed and she fell asleep.

For several weeks, Abby remained in her limbo of disconnection with the world. The wounds on the back of her body were healing well, and her lungs and kidneys recovered full function. Abby had always been very healthy, and her body bounced back quickly.

All except her brain.

The pressure inside her head gradually decreased, and her skull was refashioned from bone fragments and stretched scalp. She had a bout of meningitis, which wasn't surprising considering that her meninges were exposed under the bandages, but it responded well to antibiotics. Her original MRI had showed that the worst damage was to her parietal lobe and the association areas in the prefrontal cortex that were the foundation of memory storage and complex mental functions.

There was also evidence in the white matter of some axonal damage, but the doctors nevertheless gave her a reasonably good prognosis. This was partly based on the fact that, by the end of the first month, Abby had reached a minimally conscious state in which she remained 95% of the time.

Her family had come to visit after her father's condition improved, and they stayed for a week. After that, they visited one or two at a time every week or so. They were confident that Abby had the support she needed in her D.C. friends, who sometimes fought over who would stay with her when. The core of the visitors were, of course, her friends from NCIS, and they spent the most time talking to her and playing music or videos. Tony almost always brought a movie, McGee played her favorite video games while she watched, Ziva talked to her about their cases. Ducky played the music she liked, while Gibbs mainly sat and held her hand. He did talk to her - a lot for him - but he was never a big talker.

Jenny was on leave for two months at her own request; it wasn't really necessary medically. But it did allow her to fill in at any time when no one else was able to be there. She knew that she owed Abby her life - just as she did Ziva - so she wanted to do all she could reasonably do to show her gratitude.

About a week into the second month after the storm, Jenny arrived a few minutes late. She immediately realized that Abby had been restless that day, because she had restraints on her wrists. The nurse said she had tried twice to pull out her NG tube, so they'd had to restrain her. Jenny didn't like that, even though she understood the need. As she sat down in her usual chair beside the bed, she touched Abby's hand, which was trying to work its way out of the wrist tie. She was pleased that Abby immediately grasped her hand. This was new! With her other hand she stroked Abby's arm, and she noticed that Abby's eyes were turning very slowly towards her.

The other hand began to move against the restraint, but in a pattern different from before. Jenny pushed the button for the nurse.

"Could you call the sign interpreter?" Jenny asked when the nurse on duty, Erin, appeared. "I think she's trying to sign." Erin nodded and left.

It turned out that the interpreter was already in ICU, so he arrived quickly. "I can see she's trying to sign," he told Jenny, after watching Abby for a few minutes, "but she doesn't have enough range of motion with her hand tied down. Let me ask the nurse if I can remove it." He returned after a few moments, with Erin in tow.

"I'll have to stand by her," Erin explained, "in case she starts pulling her tubes out again." She untied the left restraint.

Abby was still looking at Jenny intently as she signed. The interpreter said, "Hi, sweetheart. I remember you! We live together for eight years. I'm so glad to see you. Give me a kiss?"

Jenny was shocked, but she tried not to show it. Abby clearly had some sort of delusion, but Jenny wasn't going to contradict her under the circumstances. "I'm glad to see you too - honey," she managed to say without too much hesitation. "I'm glad you're awake." She leaned over and gently kissed Abby on the cheek.

"I love you," the interpreter said. Then he added, "She made what looked like a name sign first. A 'J' combined with the sign for 'pretty.' Is that your name sign?"

"Um... yes." She turned back to Abby. "I love you, too." She knew the "I love you" sign - which combined the i, l, and y shapes - so she added it to the words.

Abby couldn't really smile with the breathing tube in place, but it was clear that she was trying. Then her eyelids drooped and she fell asleep again.

"Thank you very much," Jenny told the interpreter. "Erin, is Todd - Dr. Gelfand - here?"

"He usually makes rounds about this time. I'll check."

"Thanks."

Jenny sat and waited, still holding Abby's hand and trying to understand what was happening in the younger woman's mind. She had never heard of a head injury patient having delusions, except those related to amnesia. Like when Jethro woke from his coma and he thought it was 1991.

"Jenny? You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Todd. Do you need to check Abby?"

From the look on Jenny's face, he felt he should hear what she had to say first. "Not yet."

"Let's talk in the hall." They went out several feet down the hall and Jenny explained what had happened. "Is this a common thing?"

"I wouldn't say it's common, Jenny, but it's not unheard of. It's called confabulation. The patient has trouble orienting to person, place, date, so her mind makes up a context. Some people imagine themselves to be the President or some other famous person, while others are convinced they've been taken hostage in another country and that their medications are poison." He started to laugh, then stopped when he saw Jenny's face. "This is not the worst thing that could happen, Jenny."

"But how long will it last? And what do I do about it?"

"Your instincts were good - you went along with what she was saying. She is in no shape at this point to be confronted with her false beliefs. If you can continue without serious stress to yourself, it would be the best thing for her."

"But what if - if she gets well in every other respect, but still thinks we are - together?"

"At that point it would be best to tell her the truth. She would be able to handle it then. But the overwhelming likelihood is that the delusion will pass long before she is ready to leave the hospital. Just do what you can, Jenny. I know it's not your style; it doesn't have to be. Imagine that you are an actress, and this is just a role you have to play."

"Thanks, Todd." She hugged him tightly."I really appreciate your advice."

"My pleasure. Now, let's see how Abby is doing otherwise."

Jenny knew she should tell the others about Abby's delusions - and she really intended to - but somehow, when they came to the hospital later that day, she just didn't feel comfortable mentioning it. Instead, she tried to leave as quickly as possible, fearing that Abby would awaken again while Jethro was there. He would know what she was saying even without the interpreter.

Abby was sleeping soundly when she left to have dinner with Todd. When she came back, she could hear a commotion going on near Abby's room, and she hurried down the hall to see what was wrong. Tony, McGee, and Ziva were standing in the hall looking at her strangely, but she didn't even notice, so intent was she on getting to Abby's room. When she walked in she saw Abby signing wildly to Jethro with one hand and banging on the bed rail with the other.

But as soon as Abby saw Jenny, both of those movements stopped, and she held out her hands. Jenny squeezed past Jethro and hugged Abby as best as she could with all the medical equipment in the way. When she pulled back she had a smile on her face. Abby began to sign again.

Jethro quietly interpreted the signs aloud. "Jenny I was so scared, you were gone, I thought you left me. I thought you didn't love me any more."

"No, no, Abby, I just went to eat dinner, don't ever think that." Jenny was almost oblivious to the rather public nature of the conversation; she just wanted to make Abby feel better. "I'm sorry, I should have told you, but you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you."

"I was so scared. I love you, Jenny, do you love me?"

"Of course I do." She sat down in the chair and took Abby's hand in both of hers. "What would I do without you, Abby? Please don't be afraid, okay?"

A tear slid down the side of Abby's nose, and Jenny gently wiped it away with a tissue. "I won't be afraid," Abby signed. Her signs had gradually become calmer, and her eyes looked happier. No more tears were falling, and Jenny was very happy. Everyone hated to see Abby upset, and Jenny was no exception.

Jethro cleared his throat. "Abby, can I borrow the Director for a few minutes? Need to talk about work."

Abby nodded briefly, and he pulled Jenny away and into the corridor, motioning the others to go in the room and amuse their coworker.

"All right, Jen, talk."

She suddenly began to laugh, then she couldn't stop laughing, and a little bit of hysteria crept in. Finally he put a hand over her mouth and said, "Stop it. Talk."

"What's the matter, Jethro?" she asked, unable to resist teasing him. "Are you jealous?"

"You lied to me."

"No, I didn't. I told you the exact truth."

"Then what was that scene all about?"

"If you'll just hold on a minute, I'll tell you." She took several deep breaths, then told him about the occurrences earlier in the day and her conversation with Todd about delusions. "So you see, I had to say what I said. Abby isn't strong enough right now for me to tell her the truth. You saw how frightened she was. It's due to her brain injury. It is almost certain that she will become aware of the truth as time passes. Until then - or until she's well physically - you will see me behaving completely out of character when I am around Abby. It's not as if we're going to have sex here in the hospital, after all."

A look of alarm passed briefly over Gibbs' face before it became impassive. He hadn't even been thinking about that - until now.


	5. Chapter 5

Sixty-four days had passed since the storm. Jenny stopped by the hospital on her way to work; it had been Gibbs' turn to stay the night with Abby.

When she walked in, she found that they were talking. She went to greet Abby as she always did, with a hug and a kiss. "Good morning, Abby."

Jethro said, "Jen, wait -"

Simultaneously, Abby said, "Good morning, Di- Director?" She pulled away in surprise when Jenny started to kiss her.

Reflexively, Jenny pulled back as well and stepped away. Her gut was turning over and she could feel her cheeks turning red. "Um - Jethro - Abby -"

"I know you need to get to work," he said quickly. "I'll explain to Abby before I come in."

"All right. I'll see you later, Abby." She got out of the room as fast as she could and left the hospital, ignoring the questions her driver asked. She was still stunned when they arrived at NCIS, so she went immediately to her office, telling Cynthia to hold her calls.

She knew this would happen. She had expected Abby to remember eventually. But not today. She had stopped asking herself every morning if today would be the day. She had begun to take it for granted that she and Abby had a special relationship.

Did it become too real? No, she was not in love with Abby. She liked Abby; she even loved her in the sense of friendship. But she did not love Abby in the romantic sense.

So what was bothering her?

She sat and thought, oblivious to the passage of time, trying to understand the emptiness she felt, the abrupt loss of a reason for her days. Suddenly her work did not seem to be enough anymore.

"I miss it," she said aloud.

"I could tell," a quiet voice answered her.

Her face flushed for the second time that day. "Jethro, how did you get in here? How long have you been sitting there?"

"About ten minutes. You appeared to be deep in thought. Didn't want to disturb you."

"Fair enough." She found that she couldn't look him in the eye. "Um... how did it go?"

"Fine. Abby was mortified, had to reassure her that it was okay and you understood."

" _She_ was mortified?"

"Yeah."

"I was so embarrassed, Jethro. I couldn't believe - how could I forget - I should have remembered it wasn't real."

"It was very real - for awhile. Probably why it bothers you now."

"I guess so. I was thinking - well, you seem to know already." She sighed heavily. "The idea of having that kind of relationship was very appealing. Someone to come home to. Someone that would always be there. Someone -" She looked up suddenly and realized who she was talking to. "I shouldn't be telling you this, Jethro."

"Why not?"

"You know why not."

"Afraid you'll say something you'll regret?"

"It's just not fair."

He looked confused. "What's not fair? That the thing with Abby is over?"

"No, Jethro. It's not fair to you."

He shook his head and looked a question.

"I mean, it's not fair for me to complain that I don't have a long term relationship. Not to you, anyway. I was the one who left; I don't have the right to complain."

He smiled at her and stood up. "Anyone can make a mistake, Jen."

Before she could recover enough to answer him, he had left her office.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Anyone can make a mistake, Jen."_

She did not see him again for the rest of the day. In a way she didn't mind not seeing him, it was probably better that way, but another part of her wanted to continue the conversation from the morning. She wanted to know what he meant. Did he mean -? She was afraid to think about it, but she couldn't think about anything else.

The next morning she went to the hospital to see Abby as usual, wanting to make sure that the younger woman did not fear the consequences of something that she couldn't help.

"Hello, Abby," she said, walking into the room with a smile.

Abby started visibly, and her eyes grew wide. "Hi, Director - uh - how are - how are you this morning?" She looked away from Jenny and tried to smile.

Jenny sat in the chair beside the bed. "It's okay, Abby," she said gently. "Really."

Abby looked down at her hands and a fugitive tear ran down her cheek. "I'm sorry..." she began.

"Abby, look at me."

Abby didn't move, just squirmed uncomfortably.

"Please Abby, look at me." Jenny waited a few more moments, then reached across the bed and placed one finger under Abby's chin, slowly raising and turning her gaze.

"It wasn't your fault. You were injured, you had no control over what your mind imagined." Abby tried to turn away again, but Jen wouldn't let her. "You saved my life, Abby. The last thing you did before your injury was to save my life. Doesn't it make sense that your mind, when you couldn't remember reality, would create a reality with me in it?"

Abby swallowed hard and nodded.

"You see?"

"But - why did you - why -"

"Because I wanted to help you get well." Jenny lowered her hand. "Abby, you are very important to all of us. You needed me to be there for you. I'm glad I was able to do that."

She was thrilled when a real smile blossomed on Abby's face. "So you aren't mad?" Abby asked.

"Why should I be?" She smiled back at Abby. "Can I give you a hug?"

"Sure!" They hugged each other tightly, remembering what each of them had done for the other.

When they separated, Abby blurted out, "Gibbs loves you."

Jenny froze. "What?"

Abby nodded. "He loves you. He told me so. He told me that he was jealous when he thought you and I were really an item."

"I - are you sure?"

"Absolutely. There's no one who knows him better than I do - except you," she amended. "He's always told me things he didn't tell anyone else. Besides, everybody has known for a long time that you two should be together." Abby grinned. "Ask him, if you don't believe me. If he says no, I'll drag it out of him."

"No need," said a new voice, as Gibbs entered the room. He went immediately to Jenny. "Abby's right, Jen."

Remembered the conversation of the day before, Jenny said, "You were right, too. I did make a mistake. Perhaps I can unmake it?"

He took her in his arms and held her close, then kissed her. When they broke the kiss, he murmured in her ear, "Do you know how hard it was for me to watch you kissing Abby every day? Even though I knew it wasn't real. It just about killed me, Jen."

"I won't kiss anyone but you now," she promised, then promptly proved it.

Several minutes later, Abby cleared her throat loudly and said, "I think you two should finish this elsewhere."

"Yes," they both agreed. Jenny started to follow Jethro out, then stopped and went back to Abby. She leaned over and hugged her again, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Abby - for saving my life, and for - well, you know. For everything."

Abby grinned. "You're welcome!"

the end


End file.
